David Utter      2005-06-15

A joint yearlong study by Virginia Tech and the NHTSA shows drivers are at greatest risk when chatting on a cellphone.

Wireless devices like cellphones pose the greatest distraction to drivers today, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Results of that new report should be widely released next week. The study tracked 100 cars and their drivers, using videotape to record over two million miles and 43,000 hours of travel.

The report will show that drivers involved in crashes or near crashes were much more likely to have a cellphone or wireless device in hand. While simply talking and listening on a phone, drivers were involved in six crashes and a majority of what the study classifies as near crashes and other incidents.

411 crashes and other incidents came from passenger related distractions: talking to other passengers and dealing with children in rear seats.

The cellphone industry's trade group again affirmed its stance that cellphone use in a car could be a distraction. "At the same time, cellphone use is one of what appears to be a number of behaviors there," said a spokesperson for the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association.

Last week, the state of Connecticut joined New York, New Jersey, and Washington DC in banning handheld phones for drivers.